PAC Powered by Emcee
D8073 Concerns: Bottom Line – This is a Flight-Safety Issue
Filter-separators exist to strip free water out of jet fuel before it reaches an aircraft – water left in fuel can freeze and restrict fuel flow, feed microbial (“bug”) growth that fouls filters, and corrode tanks and fuel system components. D8073 is supposed to confirm a fuel will release that water.
Independent field data, independent bench data, and the manufacturer’s own validation numbers all show it routinely reports a “pass” on fuel that D3948 and D7224 – and real filter-separator behavior – show has lost that ability.
That’s because D8073 isn’t measuring water separation at all; it’s reading the glow of a dye. A test that reliably misses degraded water separation isn’t a paperwork problem. It’s a flight-safety risk.
